What Summer Brings
by Crystaltabboo
Summary: Bellamy Blake returns home, now being stable enough to begin enjoying life with his baby sister, and her new friends. Clarke Griffin has a questionable pass, but she is doing everything she can to keep it away from her new life.
1. Chapter 1

Clarke Griffin hated shopping. Growing up, shopping had consisted mainly of her mother ordering sales women around the entire shop as Clarke stood in the middle of the room, trying on whatever type of material handed to her. Ignoring the pang that went through her heart at the memory of her mother, she rounded on her two best friends.

"Fine, I'll go." Octavia Blake and Raven Reyes both smirked at her, already knowing they would wear her down eventually. "On one condition." Clarke held up one finger.

"What do you want?" Octavia glared at her.

"I drive." Clarke finished saying her demand, then ducked down behind her couch pillow to avoid being hit by any flying objects.

"Deal. Raven's driving scares me too."

"Oh my god. Nothing is wrong with my driving!" The flying pillow caught Octavia in the face. Clarke grinned over at her from behind her shield.

"I'm going to go get dressed now." Clarke jumped from the couch they had been lounging on and ran to her room.

She stopped to survey herself. A wall length mirror near her door confirmed what she already knew. She looked horrible. Her blonde hair usually hung down her back in flowing curls, but at the moment, it was balled up into a messy bun that flopped pathetically on the top of her scalp. There were heavy bags under her eyes, making her face look sunk in.

Clarke sighed and discarded her current attire, if you could call yoga pants and her large college tee-shirt an attire. She changed into her favorite jeans, needing the reassurance of the tight material. She put on a black flowy tank top and her converse then headed back out into the small restroom she shared with Octavia.

Entering the restroom from the door in her room, she stood in front of the sink and ran a brush through her hair quickly before throwing it back into her bun. She added some mascara and a small amount of pink lipstick. Clarke figured this was the best she could do on such short notice. The small restroom she was in held two doors, one leading back to her room and the other leading to Octavia's room. Both girls were connected through the small restroom, being able to go into the other's space easily. Walking into Octavia's room, she spotted Raven lounging on the bed.

She stopped to stare at her friend for a moment, wishing she had the natural beauty Raven possessed. Her olive skin glowed. She and Clarke were the same height. Raven was thinner, wirier. She had long jet black hair that was always in a ponytail, but when it was down it was full and luscious. Raven's eyebrows were naturally arched, making her almond shaped brown eyes seem large.

"Where is Tavia?"

"Somewhere in Narnia." Raven didn't look up from her mechanic magazine, waving her arm in the general direction of Octavia's closet instead. Clarke grinned at her friend, then walked over and threw herself next to Raven.

"Hey there, ma'am. Put that magazine down. We are officially on vacation now. No more reading." Snatching the magazine away from Raven before she could protest, Clarke threw it out into the hallway through Octavia's open door.

"Ugh, you are so rude, Griffin." Raven muttered, a small smile confirming she wasn't going to tell her off. "But you are correct. No more classes!" the two girls bumped shoulders, smirking at the idea of their new found freedom.

"Hurry up, Tavia. This was your idea." Clarke called out to the closet. Octavia came out at that moment, a new outfit already fitting her tall frame. She was a tall girl, hovering over Clarke's small height. Octavia's hair was dark brown, hanging down in a straight curtain to reach her waist. She was beautiful, of course. Her round brown eyes always crinkling in the corners, her full lips constantly turned up in a grin. Right now, she was wearing small black shorts and a white crop top, leaving her toned abdomen bare.

"Whatever. I am ready. Let's go!"

The three girls exited their apartment, making their way down the hallway to the stairs. Their apartment complex didn't have an elevator, a downfall that always hit them the hardest when they wore heels.

"So, where we going first?" Raven asked.

"Mm, the mall. We need summer outfits."

"Can we stop at a book store after? I need new reading material for the summer." Clarke added, ignoring her friends groans. "No really. How else am I going to relax fully?"

"Oh, I don't know. You can go out with us every night? Meet new people?"

"Tavia is right, babe. You really should socialize more."

Clarke didn't respond to that. They had reached the bottom of the stairs. Pushing open the doors leading to their parking garage, the girls continued their bickering.

"Shot gun!" Octavia bolted forward first, beating Raven to the door of Clarkes Jeep. Clarke laughed, pressing the unlock button on her key chain. Raven shook her head but jumped in the back seat without complaining.

"Fine! But I shotgun the Aux cord!" as Clarke slipped into the driver's seat, Raven leaned forward, grabbing the cord connected to the radio and throwing herself back before Octavia could stop her. "Ha ha. In your face, baby Blake!"

"Oh god, Wick needs to find better nicknames for me!"

"I like that nickname. It's cute." Raven sniffled in the backseat, turning on Pandora from her phone. Loud music blasted from the speakers. Clarke recognized the song as Radioactive from Imagine Dragons. Octavia gave a loud whoop.

"I can't believe we are on vacation!" she swiveled in her seat to face Clarke. "Can you smell the freedom?! No more finals. No more essays. Holy shit. WE'RE FREE BITCHES!"

Raven joined in the whooping, throwing her arms up to touch the ceiling of the jeep. The euphoric feeling creeped out to touch Clarke as well. She let go of the steering wheel and threw her arms up, letting the excitement settle in her heart for a moment, before grabbing the wheel once more. The rest of the car ride was full of more songs and them singing along to the radio at the top of their lungs. They had rolled down the windows, the wind whipping at their skin only added to their exhilarated state of happiness.

Six hours later and the jeep was laden with bags and boxes. Octavia was in the backseat now, jammed next to a stack of their purchases.

"Shit, where are we going to put everything?" She looked doubtfully at the pile next to her.

"What are you talking about? You were the one making us buy everything. NOW you're having doubts?" raven looked at her incredibly.

"I began having doubts after I pushed my credit card to the brink of extinction." Octavia huffed. "I am definitely going to have to pick up a double shift this week."

"I think we all do, Tavia. Don't sweat it though. We just won't go shopping the rest of the summer. I honestly think we stocked up for the next two years anyway." Looking in the mirror, Clarke could tell Octavia was already shaking off her doubt. The girl opened a bag and took out a glasses case, popping it open and putting on the shades. Clarke grinned and looked back at the road.

"Jasper and Monty made us dinner." Raven was looking down at her phone. "I'll quote, '_You beautiful classy bitches better not forget to make it to our humble abode. We made you all dinner. And miscellaneous. Of course.'"_ Raven read out loud the text Jasper had sent.

"My god, that boy has a way with words, doesn't he?" Octavia scoffed.

"For real. He should be majoring in literature instead of chemistry."

"If he switched majors, he wouldn't be able to get us drunk though!" Clarke added in defense for her friend.

"I think regardless where we are in life, or what our field of work is, Jasper and Monty will never fail to get us intoxicated." Raven said, finishing up a reply to Jasper.

Jasper and Monty lived in their apartment complex, two floors down. They were all students in Ark University. Clarke met Octavia during her freshman year. Jasper and Monty were Octavia's childhood friends, so when she befriended her, they were a part of the package. They managed to finish their freshman year in one piece, adding Raven to their list of friends through an unfortunate event. That summer, they decided to look for apartments near to each other, and near to campus. AU was down the street from them. They had managed to find a college student neighborhood with plenty of opportunities.

They parked in the garage, leaving their packages inside, and ambled up to the third floor. They didn't even bother knocking, sweeping through the front door.

"Honey, I'm home." Raven called out sarcastically. Monty popped his head out from the kitchen, smiling at them. His dark straight hair flipped stylishly around his face.

"Hey guys! Foods ready. Sit around the table in the living room though. Our kitchen table broke." He frowned.

"How did you break the kitchen table?" Clarke asked, noting the way Monty glared behind him.

"Ask that fucker." He dipped back out of view. The three girls looked at each other in confusion. Octavia was the one to follow Monty, as raven and Clarke took a seat.

Thirty minutes later, everyone was sitting around the coffee table, plates on their laps, cracking up at the hysterics that were their friends.

"And then there was a loud crack. Next thing I know, Maya and I are on the floor, along with the table." Jasper shrugged sheepishly, avoiding everyone's eyes. Maya was sitting next to him, pushing her food around on her plate. She was beet red, but a small smile lingered on her face. They had just recounted how their sex adventures led to a newly broken table. Even Monty was laughing, feeling better since Jaspers embarrassed confession.

"Woo, you two are something else." Octavia gasped between laughs.

"Seriously, I did not think you two nerds had it in you." Raven agreed.

"Hey, I heard it's the nerdy people who are true freaks in bed." Added Clarke. Everyone turned to look at her. She widened her eyes and looked around the table. "What?! It's just what I heard!"

"What kind of sex stories do you have Clarke?" Jasper waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Shut up, Jas! You should not be talking right now."

"Well, I think it's time for some alcohol!" Monty stood up and headed to the kitchen. He brought out three large pints of golden colors liquor. We had decided on the name Moonshine.

"Wait, before everyone drinks. I kind of have an announcement!" Maya interrupted Monty's distribution. He smacked his forehead in a gesture that made it obvious he forgot about whatever she was going to say.

"Since we are all on vacation, we wanted to rent out a cabin out by Mt. Weather. It's right near the lake. I found this brochure." She took out a pamphlet and laid it in front of the three girls. "Its remote, so it'll be only us, but a thirty minute drive will lead us to a small city, so we won't be totally on our own. There's a store where we can rent out stuff for the water, like jet skis, canoes, stuff like that. It would seriously be fun!"

Octavia squealed next to Clarke. "Oh my god, look how pretty it is! I am in! For how long can we stay there? And when would we go?" Clarke grabbed the pamphlet from her hands, looking down at the pictures. She had to admit, it really did look peaceful. She could almost picture herself sitting outside, drawing the natural beauty into her sketchbook. Clarke passed the pamphlet to Raven, turning back to hear the responses to Octavia's question.

"We would leave in a month. That way we can all have time to put in a notice at work. And we can choose how long we want to stay. But we'd have to choose right now, to reserve the cabin." Jasper answered.

"How much would all this cost?" Clarke asked. Monty and Jasper exchanged a glance between each other. Before they could answer, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Monty jumped up and went to open the door.

"Are we really going to do this?" Raven looked over at Clarke, her eyebrows raised.

"I think it could be fun. Don't you?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not exactly an outdoor kind of girl. But what is the point of me staying behind if everyone I know is down at that damn lake?" Clarke scoffed, bumping shoulders with her friend.

"Why don't you invite Wick? I am sure Prince Charming will make you forget about the outdoors." Raven shrugged, a smile beginning to form. Clarke knew she was in. Footsteps sounded from outside the living room. Monty was back, leading in a tall man.

Octavia yelled loudly, making everyone jump slightly. The brunette sprang up and rammed into Bellamy with enough force to cause him to step back a few times. That didn't stop him from wrapping his muscular arms around his sister, sweeping her into a tight hug. Clarke smiled at their reunion, even though her stomach twisted in annoyance. The few times she met her best friend's brother, she was thoroughly reminded of his dislike towards her.

"Oh my god, Bell! Why didn't you tell me you were back in town?" Octavia leaned away from her brother's grip to look at his face, but she didn't step out of his embrace.

"Well, I wasn't sure I was going to come down or not. I didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure. I just got the okay yesterday." Bellamy broke away from his sister and held her at arm's length. "Shit, you're big now." Then his eyes narrowed. "Why are you wearing that? You can see everything." His voice was gruff with disapproval. Octavia grinned and rolled her eyes.

"You got the okay for what?"

"I'm transferring over. My company built a new branch here. I requested to get placed in the new branch so I could be closer to home." He looked down in sudden embarrassment. Everyone at the table was staring at the siblings still.

Monty cleared his throat and turned to Maya. "Can we get back to drinking now?"

At everyone's cheers, shot glasses were passed around. Clarke scooted closer to Raven and Maya moved closer to Jasper. They both opened up a new spot so the Blake siblings could sit together. Octavia gave her a grateful smile and grabbed Bellamy's hand, leading him down to the floor.

"Come on big brother. You're drinking with me tonight." Bellamy smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners the way Octavia's did. He didn't object, sitting down besides Clarke.

"Hey Princess." Clarke rolled her eyes, and the entire table groaned.

"Oh god Bellamy." She reached in front of her, grabbing the full shot glass. "This is a happy moment. Do not be a jack ass." She raised the glass up in the air. "Just be happy."

Everyone around her lifted their glasses. Bellamy hesitated, but looking over at a beaming Octavia, he sighed and lifted his glass as well.

"Happy." He agreed. They all tilted back their heads and downed the shot in one gulp. The liquid made its way down her throat, a burning sensation that warmed her insides.

Three hours later, everyone was slurring, but still going. It had been Clarke's idea to play drunk jenga.

"Holy shit, I cannot take this one out. There are no more left!" Maya whined. Jasper leaned around her, poking at the tower of blocks, looking for a loose one. Maya swatted his hand away before Octavia could swoop down on them. "No cheating, mister." She still reached to pull out a block that jasper had managed to loosen. "It says, 'never have I ever.'" Maya frowned, looking up at them. "What's that?"

"It means we have to say something we've never done. If someone in the circle has done it, they have to take a sip of their drink. If they haven't, they don't drink." Monty explained.

Maya nodded and sat up straighter to think of something to say. "Never have I ever," she began "had sex with a girl." She smiled down at Jasper, who grinned and took a sip. Bellamy and Monty took a sip, and much to everyone's surprise, so did Clarke and Raven.

"What?" Bellamy rounded on the two of them. Raven grinned lazily. Clarke shrugged.

"What?" she retorted.

"I remember your lesbian phase!" Octavia called out, shoving Bellamy back so she could look at Clarke. "What was her name? Uh—"she tapped her forehead lightly.

"Lexa." Jasper answered. Clarke groaned and rolled her head back.

"It was not a lesbian phase. I genuinely liked the girl. Weird." Clarke took another sip while Octavia, Jasper and Monty laughed at her expense. "You're turn." She pointed at Jasper.

"Never have I ever failed a class." At this, no one took a sip. "Ahh, I am surrounded by intelligent college students. I am glad. I am definite glad." He beamed at them all in turn. "Your turn Mont."

"Never have I ever been arrested." Jasper gasped exaggeratedly at him, taking a sip. As well as Bellamy and Clarke. "Seriously Clarke? You too?" Again, Clarke merely shrugged her shoulders. Bellamy scoffed softly next to her.

"I'm sure Princess spent the night in PD then got discharged in the morning with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. That doesn't count."

Glaring up at his smug face, Clarke corrected him. "Actually, Princess had no bail money. So I sat in county for a month before having a court hearing. I was released after that but I had to do a year of community service. Your turn Raven." She looked over at her friend, not allowing Bellamy to comment on her admission.

The game continued on until well into the night. By the time Clarke checked her phone, it was already five in the morning. She looked around her at all the unconscious forms laying in the living room. Monty was leaning on the table, his face inches away from the moonshine pint, snoring slightly. Octavia was curled on the couch with her head resting on Bellamy's legs. Jasper and Maya were leaning against the couch. Clarke was almost sure they were asleep. Raven was crawling out of the restroom.

"Oh god, the world won't stop moving." She complained. Clarke giggled and crawled to meet raven half way. Both girls collapsed in each other's arms. They lay on their back, looking up at the ceiling.

"Why did you get arrested, Clarke?" Raven whispered to her. Clarke turned her head to look at Raven's face. Her friend had her eyes closed and she was breathing deeply through her nose. She knew it was to try and not throw up.

"I was sixteen." Clarke began, turning her head to look at the ceiling again. "I needed to sleep. So I snuck into an empty house. It was one of those houses they left open so you could walk in and check it out. For some reason it was always open, even at night. I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I stayed there for a week. I think a neighbor saw me, because a cop randomly showed up while I was asleep. I got arrested for trespassing and breaking and entering. Even though I technically didn't break in." Clarke shrugged. She lifted her arms over her head, holding them up to examine them. She was so drunk, even her hands looked hazy.

"Why didn't anyone bail you out?" Clarke squeaked in surprise, dropping her hands quickly. It wasn't Raven who had asked that question. One look at Raven and it was obvious she had passed out. Clarke propped herself up on her elbows, blinking rapidly to try and make the three Bellamy's merge into one. He was sitting up, running his hand through Octavia's hair but his gaze was fixed on Clarke. When she met his eyes, the room stopped swaying and there was only one Bellamy. "Why did you stay so long in there?" Bellamy asked her again, his voice quiet.

Maybe it was because she was drunk, or because of how sincere Bellamy looked at that moment, but she opened her mouth and gave him her truth. "I had no one." Her voice came out sadder than she had meant it to. She noted the look of surprise that flashed across his face. His mouth popped open slightly and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Family?" he asked, trying to break the silence.

Clarke laughed at that. She dropped back down on the floor, facing the ceiling again. Thankfully, at that moment Maya's head drooped off of Jasper's shoulder. She jerked awake, looking around frantically before realizing where she was.

"Babe, come on." She nudged Jasper. "Let's get everyone to bed." Maya looked over at Clarke, smiling softly. Clarke smiled back and sat up. "How are you still awake?" Maya shook her head at Clarke in awe. "You drank way more than me. And I need to—"she broke off at that moment, turning slightly green. Maya jumped up quickly then stumbled her way to the restroom. Jasper still hadn't woken up.

"Get Jasper, will you?" Clarke didn't stop to see if Bellamy listened to her before she made her way to the back of the apartment to help Maya. The restroom was at the end of the hallway and she could just make out the slumped form hunched over the toilet. Flipping on the lights, Clarke held Maya's hair out of the way. When the girl finished spilling her guts out, Clarke helped her up. She left Maya to brush her teeth and went to get her some water and an aspirin.

By this time, Octavia and Jasper were both sitting up, blinking blearily. Bellamy must have had to move Octavia to get to Jasper, thought Clarke.

"Your girlfriend is dying in the back." Clarke reminded Jasper. He groaned and tried standing up but failed. She reached down and grabbed his hand, trying to yank him up. But the boy weighed a ton. "God Jas. You are skinny. How the hell are you this fucking heavy?" tugging on his hand once more, jasper finally managed to right himself. Only to sway in her direction. Before she could step out of his way or right them both, Clarke felt herself fall under Jaspers body. Two arms shot out and grasped Jaspers shoulders firmly, easing his weight away from her. Clarke stepped back, right into Bellamy. His chest was against her back, his arms on either side of her face. She looked up at him, holding her breath. He gazed down at her, smirking slightly. Clarke shivered, but quickly stepped under his arm and went around to help Jasper.

"Oh shit. Sorry Clarke. I am so fucking dizzy." Jasper shook his head lightly. "Where's Maya?"

"In the restroom. Here, a cup of water and aspirins. Both of you should take some. Need help getting her to bed?"

"No, I got her. Maybe you can get Monty though. I think he is getting too friendly with that bottle." Clarke looked over at Monty, who had snaked one arm around the Moonshine and was using it as a prop for his head. She couldn't hold in a snort. Before she helped him, she took out her phone and took a picture.

"That is just mean, Clarke." Octavia muttered. "Send it to me."

After helping Monty into his own room, Octavia and Clarke debated on whether they should crash in the living room or try and trudge up the two floors to their own room.

"I am just so tired. I don't care where we sleep." Octavia muttered, curling up again on the couch. She yawned and closed her eyes, asleep in an instant.

"I hate how she can just sleep at will." Clarke stated out loud. Bellamy chuckled at that. He was sitting on the couch opposite of Octavia, next to the sleeping figure of Raven.

"Yeah, she always had that habit. Which was a blessing to me, since putting her to bed was my responsibility." Bellamy gave Octavia a warm look, his full lips puckered up in a small grin. Clarke noticed how at ease he was with anything regarding his sister. Though he was a douche to the rest of the world, his heart shone through his chest when he spoke to or about his baby sister.

Shaking her head, she turned away from Bellamy. She had to stop ogling him before he thought she was a creep. Clarke splayed out on the floor near the couch. Reaching up, she took a pillow off of the couch and placed it under her head. The last thing she heard before knocking out was Bellamy's voice grumbling out something she couldn't catch.


	2. Chapter 2

Looking around him, Bellamy had to hold back a laugh. These lightweights, he thought. Octavia was snoring loudly. He went to her first and rolled her to her side, knowing that was how to get her snores to end. Then he went into the hallway where he knew there was a small closet. Opening the closet, he brought out the spare blankets and pillows that were always there.

He covered Octavia and Raven each in a quilt. Then he turned to the blonde mess on the floor. Scoffing, he wondered if she thought he was the type of person to let a woman take the floor while he took the couch. Shaking his head, he leaned down. He placed one arm under her knees and the other arm went to cradle her head. He lifted her up, frowning at how light she weighed, then placed her on the long couch where Raven laid and put a blanket over her.

She shifted slightly, her hand sneaking out and grabbing Bellamy by the wrist. One look at her face assured him she was still fast asleep. He crouched down beside her and looked at her closer. Her blonde bun was falling apart, tendrils of hair freed and splayed around her face. Bellamy gently moved a strand away from her mouth and tucked it behind her ear.

Bellamy had to admit he had been shocked when she had talked about her past. He never actually hung out with her before this, but he always assumed she was an uppity money child. She never seemed to worry about rent the way the others did. Nor financial aid for school. Bellamy never asked Octavia about her, not really caring. But tonight, she looked at him in actual anger at his comments about her jail time.

'I had no one.' There had been so much emotion in the back of that statement, it almost made Bellamy want to reach over and hug her. And the way she had laughed at his question regarding her family. It was a bitter laugh. He recognized that laugh, since his matched it.

Shaking his head at the mystery of his sisters best friend, he reached down and tried to remove her grasp from his wrist. As he pried her fingers off, she frowned in her sleep and held on tighter. Bellamy stopped and watched as she replaced her fingers around him. Sighing, he sat next to the couch. He needed to sleep somewhere anyway. He placed his head on the pillow Clarke had originally claimed, and covered up with the blanket he had gotten for himself.

Feeling uncomfortable with the angle his hand was in, he shifted it around. Clarkes frown deepened and she began to stir, but Bellamy quickly grabbed her hand again, this time entwining his fingers with hers. She huffed out a small breath and her frown faded back into sleep.

Bellamy knew she was just drunk and she didn't realize what she was doing, but he leaned back with a small smile on his face. He quickly knocked out as well.

It was Octavia's gasp that woke him up. Bellamy was usually a heavy sleeper, but he was so in tune with his sister that any noise she made would instantly wake up. He sat up quickly and looked over at Octavia, who had her phone out.

"What the hell, O?"

"What the hell, yourself, big brother?" Octavia whispered, gesturing at his hand. Bellamy felt his face get hot, knowing what she was referring to without needed to follow her gaze. He turned and pried her fingers away slowly from his. This time, she didn't move.

Octavia held her phone up again, Bellamy realizing too late that she was taking a picture.

"Oh. Shit, seriously O? Quit your shit." He grumbled, standing up quickly. Octavia smirked, but stowed away her phone.

"It's more to hang over Clarkes head than yours. Don't worry." Bellamy scoffed at that, shaking his head.

"Girls are vindictive."

He left Octavia in the apartment, promising to come back that evening for dinner at her place. Bellamy needed to get in touch with Miller and Murphy. Now that he was back in town, he needed a place. The last time he had spoken to Miller, he learned they had a spare room available. Bellamy could get his own place, but if he were being honest with himself, roommates would save him some money.

After sending a text to Miller for directions, Bellamy made his way down to the garage to get his truck. Once he was in the cab of his truck, Miller texted back with an address. It wasn't far from here. GPS said it was only a ten minute drive.

He pulled up to the apartment complex. It was small and squared, sitting in between a bar and a bookstore. Bellamy saw the contrast between neighboring businesses, but he liked the idea of both being close to him. The apartment was on the fourth floor. This building actually had an elevator. When it deposited him on the floor, he turned left and looked for apartment 412.

Miller opened the door not even five seconds after he knocked, pulling Bellamy into a tight one-armed hug.

"Holy shit man. It's been a long time."

"Yes it has." Bellamy stepped back to look at Miller. Both men were eye level, with the same broad shoulders. Millers skin was a darker shade than his, stretched smoothly over defined muscle. His usually kept short hair was a bit longer than it was the last time they had met.

"You here to pay my rent or what?" Miller joked, stepping out of the way to let Bellamy into the apartment.

"I have to see if the place is up to standard first." Bellamy gazed around at the apartment. The living room was directly in front of him. Red couches lined two walls, a large flat screen hung on the third wall, and the last held a large glass sliding door that led out to a balcony.

"Your room would be over here, man." Miller led Bellamy to the left into a narrow hallway. "Kitchen is back here." He gestured to a small kitchen to his right. "The table is there. This door is Murphy's room. That's the restroom. And this is yours." They stopped in front of the last door. Miller backed up and gave Bellamy his space. "Room is yours if you want it. We can talk rent and shit later when you've settled. Everything in the fridge is fair game, take what you want."

Bellamy nodded his thanks, a surge of gratefulness washing over him for his friend caused him to keep his mouth shut. He turned and opened the door, surveying the room. It wasn't bad. The door leading to a closet sat on his right. A large bed was pushed against the wall to the left. Right across from him were two long windows. They were covered with dark brown curtains. Peeking through the curtains, Bellamy could see the entire block.

He stepped back satisfied.

A few trips down to his truck and he was fully settled and unpacked. He knew he was going to have to go to the store soon and buy whatever it was that he needed, but right now he was nursing a hangover and he was lacking sleep. After talking to Miller about payments, he paid his first month and lumbered away to get some sleep.

Finally lying in bed, he took out his phone. He had a few notifications from different social Medias. Octavia made him download all these apps so they could keep in touch. Bellamy hardly used them for himself, solely to see what his sister was up to. His Facebook showed a few new friend requests from; Monty Greene, Jasper Jordan, Raven Reyes, and Maya. Rolling his eyes, he accepted all of them. He didn't post anything, so he didn't have a problem with having them there.

Having added them, they now showed up on his newsfeed. Groaning, he looked at all the photos they had posted of last night. His phone pinged, showing a new notification. Jasper Jordan was requesting to tag him in a few photos. Bellamy checked which they were. There were four. In one, Maya was screwing her face up in concentration as she tried to wiggle out a block. You could just make out Bellamy in the background. That one wasn't too bad. He accepted that.

The second photo was of Octavia and Bellamy. They were sitting side by side, both of their heads thrown back as they swallowed a large shot of Moonshine. Both of their eyes were peeking at the other, trying to be the first to finish. Clarke sat next to him, the grin she threw at them was wide. Bellamy smiled at that photo, allowing himself to be tagged.

The last photo was of Monty, Jasper and himself sitting on the couch. Bellamy recalled the guys sitting on the couch as the girls stood in front of them. One of the blocks in drunk jenga instructed the girls to play charades, which they sucked at. When they hadn't been looking, one of the girls, most likely Raven judging from the photos angle, took a picture. This one genuinely made him laugh. The three of them were looking up at whoever was next in charades. Their expressions were confused, eyebrows scrunched in as they tried to figure out what they were seeing.

He accepted that one as well, then closed the app. He had one message from Octavia. _Text me whenever you get home. I want to make sure you don't die behind the wheel. And send me your address. Your place needs my approval first. Love you big brother. _Attached to the message was a photo. He knew what it was before he opened it, but he opened it anyway.

The photo of him and Clarke. Their hands were intertwined. The only way you could differentiate their fingers was because of the contrast of their skin color. Bellamy had turned towards Clarke sometime while he had been asleep. Clarke was leaning slightly over the edge of the couch cushion. Their heads had been closer to each other than he had assumed. He had jumped up when Octavia woke him up, so he didn't see their position. He closed the photo, shaking his head slightly. Firing off the text to Octavia with his address, he turned off the phone completely. Rolling over, he tried to get the sadness of the blue eyed girl out of his head.

Bellamy woke up to a flurry that was his sister.

"Wake up, Bell!" Octavia threw his curtains apart. Which didn't do much to the room, since the light outside was fading. The sky was already turning a different shade of blue.

"What time is it?" he grumbled, not getting up but rubbing his eyes.

"It's already seven. Murphy says you've been asleep since the morning."

"Murphy is here?"

"Yeah, he was in the living room when I came in. Told me I was being annoying already." Octavia stuck out her middle finger in the direction of where Bellamy assumed Murphy was at. He chuckled but didn't comment. "Come on. You said we would have dinner. I want to show you my favorite restaurant. I ditched the gang. It's just you and me tonight."

"Sounds great, O. Let me just get dressed." He smiled fondly at his little sister.

"Awesome." She clapped her hands together, hopping on the bed with him. "Wait. You need to shower first." She reached over and tugged at a curl stuck to his forehead. "You smell like Moonshine."

Two hours later, Bellamy found himself outside of a small diner with Octavia. He was freshly washed, wearing his regular jeans, a dark blue tee-shirt and a blazer. Looking down, he frowned. He was too dressed for the diner they were at. It was tiny, everything crammed together. Booths to the right side and a long counter to the left with stools lining around the edges.

"Come on. Our table is over here." She grabbed his hand, leading him to the last booth at the far end of the diner.

"Our table?" he raised his eyebrows at her, sliding in to the seat in front of her.

"Well yeah. This place serves the best burgers. And the coffee is to die for. Plus it's always opened. So whenever we need to pull an all-nighter for school, we all come here. And this is our booth." Bellamy saw his sisters face soften at the mention of her friends.

"Hey, Doll." A waitress comes over and smiles at Octavia. "You on a date? What happened to Lincoln?" She is staring at Bellamy with wide eyes before realizing something. "Oh god, that was so rude. I am so sorry. Ah damn. My mother always did say I had a mouth the size of the moon."

"Hey, Harper. It's okay. I'm sort of on a date. This is my brother, Bellamy. Bell, this is my favorite server, Harper." Bellamy ducks his head at her. Harper flushed and bit her lip, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"Well, sorry for making that awkward. Imagine if this had been a date?" Harper giggled. "Anyway, you want the usual?"

"Yes, and make it two of everything."

Harper nods at her and, after throwing Bellamy a wink, ambles away to the back of the diner.

"So." Bellamy puts down the unneeded menu. "Lincoln, huh?" Octavia turns a soft shade of pink, looking down at her now clenched fingers. "Who is Lincoln?"

"Err." It seems like she wants to stall, but Bellamy is a patient man, and he sits in front of her in silence as she fidgets. He wanted to smile, but he kept his face impassive. It's every older brother's dream to have his little sister stay little for as long as possible. And to remain little involved no dating. But Bellamy knew his sister had an internal habit of surrounding herself with trustworthy people. She was twenty-two already. He trusted her intuition. Still, it was fun to see her embarrassment.

"I wanted to tell you. But the whole fiasco with my last boyfriend made me hesitant." Bellamy barked out a laugh at the memory. "Stop laughing. Atom still flinches when he looks at me. I had him in my Physics class two semesters ago."

"Sorry about that. But for the record, you were only sixteen when you two dated." He held up his hands before she could protest. "I am sorry about it. Honest. I won't throw a bitch fit this time. Tell me about him."

Octavia gave him a weird look. "Why are you so different?"

"Different?"

"Yeah. You were nice to Clarke. You took up Miller for his offer. And now." She waved her arm at him, indicating the scene they were just in. "You're chill with me dating. What gives, Bell?"

Before he could respond, Harper comes in, carrying a large tray.

"Damn, O. How much do you eat?" In front of him sat a large burger, fries, and an extra side of fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks and a small bowl of pickles on their own. Octavia shrugged at him, already eating her fries.

"We come here to study. Food is mandatory." She stated simply. "Plus I always eat like a pig. You know this." Which was true, Bellamy agreed. Growing up, they were notorious for binge eating late at night while their mother wasn't home.

"Nothing happened." Bellamy paused, picking up the topic they had been on before he dug into his food. "Nothing major happened. It's just being away from home, you know? It really threw off my perspective on life. And look at you. You've managed to maintain your life so well. You seem happy." He stared down at his plate. "I feel proud, I guess."

Octavia sat up suddenly, running around the table to sit directly beside Bellamy. She threw her arms around his shoulders. "I am happy. And I have managed to figure all my shit out. But it was all because of you. I may have my life in order, but none of this would be happening if you hadn't done everything you did for me." She pecked his cheek. "I love you, big brother. And I am so glad you're home."

They ate their fill in the greasy, but delicious food. Octavia told him all about her wonderful boyfriend. Bellamy was thrown off when she told him Lincoln was his age, which was twenty-seven, but she shrugged that off.

"Age really doesn't matter. Plus, he is better than the guys my age. All they think about is sex and booze and too many women." She wrinkled her nose and he let it slide.

"Did we tell you? Oh man, Bell. I should have told you last night! We are taking a summer trip up to Mount Weather." Bellamy returned his gaze to his now empty plate while Octavia continued to gush. "The pictures of the place look amazing. And the town next to it is small and cute. Kind of like the town we always talked about moving to when we were kids." She smiled fondly at Bellamy, who kept his eyes down casted. "You have to come with us. Think you could get a few days off of work? Is it too soon to ask for days off? What is wrong Bellamy?" she finally noticed his evasive posture.

"Well. I kind of already knew about the cabin."

Octavia gasped. Something clicked. She remembered the way Jasper and Monty acted when Clarke asked about the price. She looked over at her brother in amazement. "Are you fucking kidding me? Bellamy Blake. Tell me you did not rent the cabin for me." When he didn't respond, she groaned. "Oh my god. You did. That is so—amazing. But over the top. I cannot accept this."

"Don't act like that, O. Would you feel better if I said I was going too? And the cabin wasn't that expensive. My boss owns it. He rents it out. I saw the brochure in his office and talked to him about it a while back. I paid it off in monthly installments so it didn't hit my budget at all. I wanted your friends to surprise you with it. I didn't know if I would be down here in time."

Octavia's face softened as he explained himself. So long as it wasn't affecting her brother negatively, she would be okay with anything.

"And you're going with us?" she double-checked.

"Yes." He confirmed. "I rented it out for two weeks. We don't have to stay the whole time, but it'll be there. I was thinking of inviting Miller and Murphy. As a way of thanking them for taking me in so suddenly. Because of them, I didn't have to go furniture shopping."

"Oh shit, Bell. You are officially a badass." Octavia grinned at her brother. "And those two weeks are going to be fucking awesome!"

Her grin was contagious, spreading across his own face. "That's the plan."

They finished catching up at the diner, finally exiting the small building with full stomachs. Night time had arrived, the sky was pitch black. All the street lights turned on. They walked around to the small parking lot in the side of the diner, heading towards Bellamy's old truck.

"When are you ever going to replace this heap of metal?" Octavia said, but she smiled softly at it, patting the bed of the truck gently.

"Please, this baby will never leave my side. It is honestly my ride or die." She scoffed at that.

"Yeah, I can seriously see that happening. So where to next?" Bellamy had just slid into the driver's seat. Turning to face Octavia, he saw she was already gazing at him expectantly. He hadn't planned anything for tonight. Racking his brain for something fun to do, Octavia laughed. "God, you suck at being spontaneous. You can plan a whole vacation getaway in a cinch but a night out is beyond you. You are such a guy."

"Hey, it's not my fault you made me drink with you. I could have planned something out during the day but instead I had to sleep off a hangover."

"I didn't hear you complaining when you were holding Clarkes hand."

He could feel his cheeks warm up a bit, but he cleared his throat and pulled up his poker face. "I was drunk, O. I don't even remember her grabbing my hand."

"Oh, but you remember that she was the one who made the first move?" Her laughter rang out in the small cab. Bellamy stayed silent after that. "Come on. I'll show you my place. You haven't been there in over a year. We changed apartments six months back. The first one we got had this huge burst pipe and the carpets got soaked with—ugh. I don't even want to remember. We managed to move though. And it's sort of bigger."

Bellamy nodded, content with simply listening to his sister ramble on about her life. The drive back didn't take long. He saw her apartment building looming in front of them in no time, and turned into the visitor parking.

Octavia kept up her chattering as they trudged up five flights of stairs. She led him to Apartment 524 and paused dramatically in front of the door before sweeping it open for him. He rolled his eyes at her theatrics, stepping around her into the small hallway. There was a table along the wall with a miniature lamp in the shape of an owl. Octavia threw her keys onto the table and led him into the living room right outside of the hallway.

It looked like only girls lived here. A huge beige sofa sat in the middle of the living room. It was in the shape of a large U, turned to face a TV, which sat in the middle of an entertainment center. If you could call it that. Around the TV were bookshelves, each shelve crammed with books. The shelves took up almost the entire wall. And it looked like they had run out of space, piles of books were stacked around the entire apartment. Even in the small kitchen that was behind him. A bar separated the living room and kitchen. A fish tank occupied a corner.

"Hey, those are the fish I got you. They're still alive?"

"Yep." Octavia made a popping sound at the last letter. "Binky and Dory." He frowned at the fruity names but didn't say anything. "Down that hall is Raven's room. The guest restroom is right there. And this is my room." She grabbed Bellamy by the hand and yanked him through her bedroom door. He stepped in, looking around at all the things she had.

"God you are a hoarder." He was only half joking, wincing slightly at the punch she threw at him. Her walls were lined up with posters of various images. She had a desk in one corner, which was stacked with papers, spirals and a laptop. Turning around, he noted how Octavia stayed hovering at her door. "What?" he asked her self-consciously. He realized she had been watching him as he inspected her room.

She shrugged. "I am just really glad you're home."

He walked over to her and gave her a one-armed hug. "Same here, O."


	3. Chapter 3

Bellamy Blake was always in her house. She was glad Octavia had her brother back. But come on. This was almost getting ridiculous.

Clarke came home from work earlier than she had planned. Everyone was picking up more shifts at the bar to be able to pay bills and still have money left over for their trip. She had worked thirteen hours straight and her boss took pity on her, sending her home. Her feet hurt and she was ready for a shower and bed. Yawning, she went into her room and began to undress. Her bartender uniform always smelling like alcohol and cigarette smoke. It made her head hurt.

Turning on her radio, she put on her music. Octavia and Raven had come in for their shift at six, so Clarke was positive her music wouldn't disturb anyone. She hummed along to the song and walked over to her restroom. Then she screamed.

"Fuck Princess, can you shut the fuck up!" Bellamy exclaimed. Bellamy Blake in her shower. Bellamy Blake naked, scurrying to wrap a towel around himself. Bellamy fucking Blake.

"Fucking Octavia." Clarke muttered before stepping out of the restroom, shutting the door behind her with a loud slam. Throwing herself onto her bed, she realized a beat later she had been in her underwear. Groaning, she smacked her palm against her forehead. Of course.

She got up and grabbed a large tee-shirt from her top drawer and put it on. Then she grabbed her phone and sent Octavia a text. _'I accidentally body slammed your brothers naked body with my naked body. BOUNDARIES, TAVIA.'_ Throwing herself back unto her bed, she glared up at her ceiling.

A soft but insistent knock came from the restroom door. Sighing, she called him in. He was wearing black basketball shorts and a grey tee-shirt. His hair was still dripping.

"Hey. So. Sorry." Bellamy mumbled.

"So monotonous." Clarke mumbled back at him.

He frowned at her, finally meeting her eyes. "Sorry about that, Princess. Octavia said no one would be here at this time."

"Stop calling me Princess, Blake. Its rude." She snapped at him. "But it's my fault. I wasn't paying attention when I got home. I usually hear the shower running." Clarke ran her hand over her face, closing her eyes.

"Bad day?"

Clarke peeked through her fingers to see Bellamy awkwardly standing at the doorway. She sniffled, then sat up. "Not really. Just a long day at work. I'm just tired. We're all picking up shifts so we won't go bankrupt this summer."

Bellamy scoffed at that. "Yeah, O told me. She said you were pulling a double today. That's why I could use her shower." He gestured behind him, dropping his gaze

Clarke frowned. "Why are you here?"

Bellamy bristled at her rude tone, but kept his voice steady. "Miller's dad is in town for the next two days. I offered him my room, since it was originally the guest room." He shrugged. "I actually stayed here last night also, but no one was here."

Clarke and Octavia had been at work and Raven spent the night at Wick's, she recalled. "Oh, well that was—nice of you."

"Why the tone of surprise?" Bellamy shifted his weight, the corner of his lips pulled down in a small pucker.

Clarke shrugged at him, not commenting.

"Well, the restroom is free. Sorry, again." He turned around and headed through the door.

Before Clarke realized what she was doing, she had stood up quickly and followed him. "Bellamy?" he was already in Octavia's room, but he turned around slowly to look at her.

"Thank you." She said.

"For?"

"For giving up your spot on the couch." His face softened slightly. Before he could say anything, Clarke closed the door, smiling to herself.

With the door closed, she turned to look at herself in the mirror. Then she froze. The expression on her face was gross. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes sparkling and there was a stupid grin on her face. Clarke shook her head hard, reminding herself to get a grip. They barely spoke a few words to each other. She was being ridiculous.

Standing under the hot water, she was able to relax a bit. The steam rose up around her and she felt her muscles loosen up. She realized she was being unfair to the Blake siblings. If she hadn't seen her brother in almost a year, she'd want him around often. Plus, she was rarely home so it wasn't like he was physically bothering her. Silently, she decided to stop complaining to Octavia.

Dried and dressed in flannel pjs, Clarke make her way to the kitchen. She wasn't really hungry, but she hadn't eaten all day so she figured nibbling on something would suffice. Crossing the living room and entering, Clarke stops short. Bellamy is standing in front of the stove, of course. His tall frame filling up the tiny kitchen.

"Sit." He doesn't look up from the pan. Clarke just noticed he was stirring something in a pot.

"I'm not a dog, Bellamy."

He looked up at her then, a smirk flitting across his face. "Sit please, Princess."

"Why are you always so rude?" Clarke huffed, rounding on her heel. She began to walk off, but Bellamy placed a hand on her shoulder, halting her. She glared up at his face. His smirk was gone, replaced with a tight polite smile.

"Sorry, old habit. I'll be nice." He lifted his hand from her, stepping back in a surrender pose. Clarke shook her head, frowning slightly. She backed away slowly from Bellamy and walked over to the bar, sitting on one of the tall stools.

Bellamy smiled at her hesitation, then turned back around to the stove.

"So, what are you making?"

"Hot chocolate."

"You're making it on the stove?" she crinkled her nose. Bellamy whirled around to look at her, confusion tugging his eyebrows down into a scowl.

"How else would you make hot chocolate?"

"I don't know." Clarke shrugged her shoulders. "Microwave? Or with that machine that dispenses hot water and you just mix the hot chocolate powder in—why are you looking at me like that?!" the expression on Bellamy's face was becoming more horrified as her words continued.

"What kind of chocolate have you had? Never mind." He waved off her protests. "Don't answer that. I don't want to know. This is the real deal. Heaven in a cup, some might even say." He grinned cockily.

"Well, what's it made of? Rainbows and unicorns?" she shot sarcastically at him.

Snorting, he replied. "Of course you'd think of those ingredients, Princess. Nah, this is an old family recipe. You warm up real milk, whole. Not the weird 2%. You add honey and cinnamon as it boils. Then you add these chocolate bars, and mix as it melts."

His back had been facing her as he told her the recipe. Now, he turns and draws out two mugs, setting them down on the counter in front of her. Grabbing the handle of the pot, he poured the steaming brown liquid into both mugs. He slid her one gently.

"When Octavia was small, she'd beg me to make her this all the time. Because she wasn't tall enough to reach the stove." Bellamy reminisced. "Don't tell her I made you this. She'd whoop my ass if she found out I didn't make it for her first."

Clarke laughed at that, nodding in agreement. "She is a force to be reckoned with. I don't know if I can help you go up against that."

Bellamy tried to maintain his stern gaze, but a smile kept threatening to break out. "Shut up and mix your hot chocolate. That helps cool it down."

She mimicked his stern face. "Yes sir, Blake."

They stayed in a small silence after that. Clarke kept mixing her hot chocolate, steam still rising from her cup. When Bellamy turned to put the pot in the sink, she snuck a glance at his face. He seemed at ease. Not angry, nor frustrated. The last time she had seen him, Bellamy had been a ball of pent up anger.

She could feel herself waiting for the old Bellamy to pop out his rude head and become the Jackass she had first met, but he genuinely seemed more—peaceful. Hmm, whatever life changes he was going through, Clarke thought he was more likeable this way.

Bellamy turned just in time to catch her smiling at him over the lip of her mug.

"Why are you smiling like that? I feel like you're going to hurt me." He took a mocking step back.

Clarke rolled her eyes at him. "Shut up, Bellamy. This is just a really good cup of hot chocolate." Yeah, sure. Blame the chocolate, she thought to herself. But he seemed to buy it, smirking down at his own cup. "Who taught you the recipe?" she asked him.

"My mom." He said softly. "She made this a lot when I was a kid. I never asked her where she got the recipe from."

"It's good that you learned it then." Clarke said simply. Bellamy's eyes darted up to look at her, but she kept her gaze focused on the counter. "It means you kept a piece of her alive, you know? Her recipe survived."

She still didn't meet Bellamy's gaze, taking a sip of the chocolate. It really was good. Rich with spices, sweet with chocolate. Clarke had to stop herself from moaning. It was an addicting taste.

"Oh, there really are unicorns and rainbows in this." The serious moment was broken and Bellamy threw his head back and laughed, his eyes crinkling in the corners. She decided she liked Bellamy Blake's smile.

"So what is your preference? Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?"

"Definitely Harry Potter."

"What? That is insane, Princess. You cannot mean that." Bellamy grimaced at her. "You can really sit there and tell me some boy with a wand is better than the world created in the Middle Earth?"

Clarke giggled (mentally groaning because she was not the type of girl to giggle), "I am honestly sitting here telling you that J.K. Rowling is an amazing author. And the world she created outside of our own was so amazing and rich in detail. I will never read a better book than hers."

Bellamy continued to shake his head. "No, okay. I don't disagree there. She is an amazing author. But we aren't talking about writing skills. We're talking about the actual story being read, not written. The Lord of the Rings far outweighs Harry Potter."

"Stop dissing my Boy Who Lived, Bellamy Blake. The whole story was amazing. Lord of the Rings was mainly war and bloodshed and the greed of men. Harry Potter was the story of people still rising above through this dark time to shine bright and keep the morality of men in check. Stop shaking your head! You cannot just block out an entire series!"

"I have never watched Harry Potter." He stated solemnly. Clarke's mouth popped open in its own accord.

"Wha—okay. I can't judge. I've never watched Lord of the Rings." She admitted reluctantly.

"Seriously? How have you lived this long without watching it?"

"What about you? Harry Potter was huge. How did you never see any of the movies?" Clarke shot back.

They had begun talking about authors soon after finishing the hot chocolate. Bellamy had picked up an Emily Bronte book from next to the fish bowl. That led him to firing off questions to Clarke about her favorite books. Eventually, a debate arose between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

A little while later, another debate came up. This time between R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. On and on they went, ending up on the U shaped couch. Between them laid a small pile of books they had collected to show the other. At some point in time, Clarke had turned on the TV and brought up Netflix. They both settled for a standup comedy as background noise for their debate.

She couldn't be sure of the time, but she began to doze off on the sofa, a pillow tucked against her chest propped up her cheek. Bellamy had started reading an Anne Rice novel she had handed him. Clarke watched him for a small while. He was tugging on his lower lip slightly. Black curls hung down around his face, some strands flopping in front of his eyes. He didn't seem to mind them, continuing to skim his eyes down the page.

Her eyelids drooped, obscuring him from her sight.

When she woke up, she was in bed. Sunlight was streaming down on her through the window near her bed. Blearily, she tried to remember walking back to her room, but she couldn't. Clarke stretched out her body, yawning widely.

She reached over for her phone. Four new messages. Three were from Octavia.

_'Naked bodies?! Why were there naked bodies to begin with?!'_

_'Clarke? Are you guys alive?'_

_'I am calling the cops if I don't hear from either of you. Please don't kill him. He can be nice. Sometimes.'_

Then there was one from Raven that simply said, _'You going to hit that?'_

Clarke rolled her eyes at her friends. She got up quickly and walked through her restroom to peek into Octavia's room. Her blinds were still drawn shut, the room was in semi-darkness, but Clarke could see that Bellamy was not in there. She tiptoed to her friend's bed, then crawled in next to her.

Octavia moved over to make room for her, still half asleep. She cracked her eyes open just a centimeter to look at Clarke.

"Morning sunshine, the earth says hello." Clarke whispered to her.

Octavia groaned. "Go away." She mumbled. "It's too early."

Yes it is. But I'm going back to sleep. Just needed to assure you I didn't kill your brother and I have an alibi if one is needed." Clarke stated matter-of-factly.

Octavia opened her eyes wide at this, leaning forward to look at Clarke full on. "What was that? Naked bodies? Did you and my brother—"

"No, Tavia! God." She rolled away from her friend. "He was in the shower. I didn't know anyone was here. So I was going to hop in and instead I walk in on your brother in the nude."

"Well, shit Clarke. Next time say it like that! 'Two naked bodies colliding.' What the hell else am I going to think?"

"It was meant to sound more daunting than it actually was. I don't think you can properly explain walking into your roommates brothers shower time through text."

They both snorted at the mental image of that. Clarke was about to ask Octavia about his recent switch in moods, but she was interrupted by her friends next sentence.

"I would be okay with it you know." At Clarke's confused expression, she explained. "You and my brother. I would be okay with the two of you. I can see how it would fit."

Clarke cleared her throat awkwardly, avoiding her friend's steady gaze. "Tavia, Bellamy seems nicer than before. But I hardly know him. We've interacted politely a total of two times. Let's not be hasty, eh?"

Octavia grinned at her. "Whatever you say, Princess." Clarke groaned, throwing the blanket over her face.

"Not you too, Tavia!"

The two girls talked a bit more. Octavia talked about a fight that went down while her and Raven were at work. This was why they had all decided to work together. They had a few jobs separately, but getting everyone to work on time had proved difficult. And for some weird reason, they all liked working as waitresses or bartenders. There was something alluring from the socialization they got during their jobs. Plus, none of the girls liked to be still for so long. In their job, they were constantly moving, flowing around customers. But the hazards of working in bars was aggressive men pumped with too much alcohol. Working together allowed them to always have someone with them. It was a confidence booster to have her friends support throughout their shift.

After Octavia finished recounting their night, she rolled over. "Okay Griffin. Decide now. Sleep with me, or get out of my room." Clarke pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh out loud at Octavia's frustration. Not even a minute passed and Clarke could hear her soft snores.

She snickered at her friends sleeping form. Just as she tucked into the blankets once more, her phone chimed. Groaning, she reached over for it. Turning it on, she saw it was a Facebook status, posted by Monty.

_Who is down for the Dropship tomorrow night? First round is on me!_

He had tagged Jasper, Maya, Bellamy, Octavia, Raven and herself. Scrolling down, she saw there were already comments.

Jasper wrote:_ 'Hell yeah. Free drinks. You sure know how to Woo me (;'_

Raven commented as well less than a minute ago._ 'I'm in. I'll let my vampire roommates know when they wake up.'_

Clarke rolled her eyes at Ravens comment, responding with; '_#SleepyBartender but I'm in as well.'_

_Monty: 'Awesome, eight o'clock, our place?_

_Maya: 'We'll be there.'_

_Raven: 'Clarke, you guys up? Haven't heard either of you. #WhereYouAt_

_Clarke: 'I am cuddling with Tavia. zzZ'_

_Raven: 'No invite? Rood.'_

_Clarke: 'Bring me coffee and we can cuddle next.'_

_Jasper: 'Clarke, sweetie. What did we say about selling your body for coffee?'_

_Clarke: 'To not to..'_

_Monty: 'Unless they throw in a bagel. Its 101, Clarke.'_

_Bellamy: '(Tagged Miller and Murphy)'_

_Murphy: 'Nothing better to do.'_

_Miller: 'I'm out of work at nine. Meet you all then?'_

_Jasper: 'The more the merrier.'_

_Clarke: 'Night everyone!'_

She turned her ringer to vibrate, smiling to herself. Her friends were amazing. She really did want that coffee from Raven. She reminded herself to text her when she woke up to beg for a cup. Sliding under the blankets with a finality, she slid closer to Octavia's form. She radiated a warmth that was comfortable for Clarke. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to fall into step with Octavia's slow breathing. In no time, she was asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"I don't know what to wear!" Octavia cried out suddenly.

Raven and Clarke didn't get up from Clarke's bed. Octavia was always the last to get ready, usually after a long dramatic breakdown. They already knew what to do to help her out of her 'wardrobe crisis,' which happened too frequently.

"We just went shopping, Tav." Raven reminded her, not looking away from her phone.

"You guys." She whined. "You don't get it. Lincoln is coming tonight. He is going to meet Bellamy for the first time. I need something special!" she threw down the skirt she had been trying to match with a top in annoyance, glaring at them when neither had immediately jumped up to assist her.

Clarke sighed. "I am pretty sure your brother and boyfriend won't pay much attention to your outfit." Still, she stood up and walked over to her closet. Octavia had given up on her own closet and turned next to her neighbor. If she didn't find something in here, she would run over to Ravens after. She drew out a white summer dress. "Here. Try this one."

She had chosen a winner. Octavia stepped out a few minutes later in the white fabric. It had an open back, dipping down to her waist line. The front was crisscrossed across her chest, a small diamond of skin showing in the center. The skirt was full, twirling as she stepped side to side. She was beaming.

"It's perfect. Thank you Clarke!"

"No problem. Now go finish your makeup. We're late as it is."

When they were all dressed, they made their way down the stairs. Taking one step at a time gingerly, since they decided to wear heels. Raven carried a huge shoulder bag that had their flats in case they needed them throughout the night. She would leave it in whichever vehicle they took.

"What time do we work tomorrow?" Octavia asked over her shoulder.

"I'm off tomorrow." Clarke responded. "So is Raven, I think."

"Yes I am. Why?"

"Just making sure we can all drink?" Octavia flashed them a grin. The two girls scoffed at that. They all knew even if they worked, there would be drinking.

Rounding the corner leading to Monty and Jasper's place, they saw Bellamy, Miller and Murphy standing awkwardly in front of the door, talking in low voices.

"What are you losers doing standing around?"

They all whipped their heads around to look at the three girls.

Murphy whistled. "Damn Clarke, haven't seen you in ages. You look hot tonight." His eyes grazed down her body.

Clarke swatted him playfully in the arm. "Murphy, you're still a charmer. Why are you guys just standing here?"

At that moment, the door swung open. Monty's anxious face peeked out at them all.

"False alarm, Jasper." He yelled over his shoulder. "We weren't stood up. They're all standing in the hallway." He turned back to them glaring.

"Why are they in the hallway?" Came Jaspers muffled voice from the background.

"We were running late. Outfits are time consuming." Octavia shrugged. "Then we ran into these creepers standing out here." She edged around the guys in the hallway, sliding into the apartment.

"We weren't creeping. We were congregating before knocking."

"Congregating?" Raven scoffed at Miller. "We're here for a night out. Lighten up, officer." She lightly punched him on the shoulder, then followed Octavia. Clarke walked right behind her, Murphy right on her heels.

Bellamy had paused outside of the apartment door to remind the other two of the youth's excitability. More like warn them, he thought.

"They are seriously fun. I'll give them that. But they're all in their early twenties. Remember how we were at that age?"

Miller barked out a laugh. "So, they're going to end up shitfaced and in strange people's houses?"

Bellamy grimaced at that. "I don't want us to babysit them. Just make sure the group comes back all together, yeah?"

At that moment, they all heard a weird clicking noise. Then his sister's voice rang out, and he realized the noise had been their heels. He had to take a moment just to stare. They all looked—nice. He frowned at his choice of words. Octavia was in this white dress that made her glow. Raven was in a black pencil skirt that hugged her small but curvy figure well, a black crop top making her chest seem more voluptuous. Her normal ponytail was discarded, her long hair down her back and straight.

Clarke wore a long pink skirt. A slit ran up her thigh and ended a little below her hip, allowing one of her legs to be flashed entirely. A white lacy top covered most of her chest, leaving a small amount of flat belly to peek out. Her hair was down and wavy. She was beautiful, he thought.

And Murphy beat him to commenting on it. His stomach twisted slightly at his roommate's flirting, but he felt better when Clarke didn't reciprocate. They all went into the apartment after the girls.

Monty and Jasper were in the living room. Clarke and Octavia had all surrounded Maya, complimenting her attire. Bellamy greeted her warmly before turning to fist bump Jasper.

"Let's just take shots, then head out. It's already late and I reserved a table at the Dropship." Monty explained to them all, flipping his black hair out of his face.

"Well, where's the alcohol then?" Clarke hooted.

Jasper clapped his hands together. "This way, my friends. To our new kitchen table."

"You sure you and Maya don't want to give the table a test run before?" Raven threw out, winking at Maya.

"Who says we didn't already?" Maya blew a kiss at Jasper's shocked face and skipped into the kitchen. Bellamy didn't know what specifically they were talking about, but he had a small clue.

"And we're going to drink off of that now?" Murphy called out, but followed the line into the kitchen anyway. On the table were shot glasses. Bellamy counted quickly. Eighteen shots. Enough for two each.

"Go hard or go home." Monty stated, shrugging then picking up a glass.

Clarke was the first to grab another glass. "You're technically home." She reminded him, before throwing back her drink quickly. She smacked her lips together and set the glass upside down on the table in front of her.

"A girl who can handle her liquor." Murphy muttered. "Now that is hot." Everyone was busy downing their drinks, so only Bellamy heard. He grabbed his drink, tilted his head back and bitterly swallowed the alcohol. He agreed, but like hell he wanted to hear it from Murphy.

The night had barely started and Bellamy was already in a grumpy mood. He frowned at himself. So what if Murphy made the moves on Clarke? It's not like she was taken. It's not like he specifically wanted to 'make moves' on her. It's not like he had actually enjoyed himself the other night.

"What's with you, big brother?"

"Nothing. Long day at work." He lied. Then, to his delight, Clarke walked over.

"Here." She handed him a shot. "One more, and you won't care about your exhaustion." She smiled warmly at him. The tight feeling in his chest dissipated at that moment. "Together?"

Octavia answered before he could. "Together!"

Bellamy chuckled, and raised his eyebrows at Clarke in exasperation. She laughed at his sister's interruption, but raised her shot along with the siblings.

"Wait! The last shot is for a toast." Monty called out quickly. Bellamy stopped himself before the liquid touched his lips.

"A toast?" Miller looked amused.

"Yeah. For a fun night. All we have to do is survive two more weeks and then we are off on our vacation!" Monty looked fondly at everyone around the table.

"I'll toast to that." Raven called out, Maya whooping loudly beside her.

"Two more weeks till Party Cabin!" Octavia yelled. Everyone else drank to that toast as well.

The Dropship was packed that night. The only reason they didn't have to wait in line was because of Lincoln. He was a co-owner of the club. So naturally, he always kept his girlfriend and her friends on the list. And Clarke loved him for that.

They were able to skip the line, people grumbling at them and their luck. Clarke walked into the building beside Raven. The two girls had their arms linked, wide grins splattered on their faces. When she said the club was packed, it had been an understatement. It was brimming with bodies. The dance floor was a few steps down from them. A pulsing blue light made up the floor, lights glowing and illuminating people. She held up her hand in front of her. Her skin looked foreign under the lights. Clarke loved this part, how she felt like an alien in here. The bar was filled, no stools were available. The bartenders were flying around behind the counters, keeping up with the steady demand of drinks.

"The table is this way." Monty yelled over at them. They walked over to a large booth. Miller left them to head to the bar, promising to bring back a pitcher of something.

"Where is Lincoln?" Octavia surveyed the large room while trying to act like she wasn't.

"He'll pop up. He always does." Maya assured her. Clarke nodded her agreement, sliding in besides her friends.

"Hey ladies." Wick appeared besides them. Raven grinned wider, standing up to hug her boyfriend. He murmured something in her ear that made her blush, but over the loud music, only Raven could hear him. Clarke turned away to give them some privacy, noticing Bellamy gazing at her.

She felt herself warm up under his scrutiny. The blue lights made his dark skin glow brighter, but it darkened his eyes. He looked dangerous at that moment, even though Clarke knew he was anything but. Shivering slightly, she noted the way his lips were drawn into a straight line. She had noticed he was being crabby tonight, more withdrawn. She wondered why. He had been fine the night before. What if he regretted being so friendly with her? Maybe he didn't want her thinking he liked her like that.

She looked away from him, frowning slightly, but promising herself not to let him get to her tonight. Clarke hadn't drank with her friends since the night of Bellamy's return. She was determined to enjoy tonight as fully as she could.

"Who wants to dance?" She yelled over the music at her table. Octavia, Maya and, much to her dismay, Murphy agreed to go with her. Clarke stood up and swept to the stairs leading down to where everyone was dancing. Octavia wound her hand between Clarke's, gripping her tight to not lose her in the overflowing crowd. They grinned at each other, and began to dance once they reached the center of the crowd. The song was from Kid Cudi. She could just make out the lyrics of Pursuit of Happiness. Swaying her body, she let herself forget about dark eyes and changing moods.

The lyrics rang out '_I'm on the Pursuit of Happiness and I know everything that shine aint always gunna be gold. Yeah. I'll be fine once I get it. I'll be good.'_ She chanted the words as she danced, arms thrown over her head. Octavia and Maya joined in, throwing their voices up in the air as they twisted around to the beat.

Bellamy watched Clarke walk off to the dancefloor with his sister. Murphy had jumped up also, but he had spotted another female who caught his eye, and he headed that way instead of following Clarke. Good, thought Bellamy.

"Hey, you look like you could use a drink" Miller appeared beside him, carrying a bottle of Jack Daniels. He shrugged at Bellamy's questioning glance. "A bottle is better than a pitcher, no?"

"Hell yeah it is." Jasper chirped up.

"Why aren't you out dancing with your woman?" Miller asked him. "She's going to end up going home with one of those girls if you aren't careful."

"They honestly would steal Maya." Jasper muttered, looking over at the writhing girls. "Come on Monty. I don't want to be the only guy dancing." Monty opened his eyes wide.

"Drink before we go?"

"Definitely."

Scoffing, Miller poured them both a hefty amount of alcohol into two glasses and slid it their way. The two guys chugged it. Monty shook out his shoulders, as if preparing for a fight.

"It's go time."

"Hurry before I change my mind." Jasper stood suddenly, taking off after his girlfriend. Monty scrambled after him.

It became apparent why they were hesitant to go out in the first place. They were as uncoordinated on the dance floor as they were anywhere else they went. Monty bobbed his head constantly, resembling a chicken pecking for food. Jasper tried sliding in smoothly beside Maya, but managed to stumble. She reached out to steady him while he turned a shade of pink. Bellamy and Miller both cracked up.

"So what gives, man?" Miller asked after they had watched the two guys integrate themselves with the girls. "You didn't work today. Which you told Octavia was the reason you're pissed." Bellamy didn't say anything. "You were fine when we got to the apartment." Again, Bellamy kept his silence. Miller passed him a glass full of Jack. "Here." He said. "To help ease the stick out of your ass."

"Shut up Miller." Bellamy muttered, but he took the drink.

He downed three glasses before making his way to the restroom. A small buzz was starting to creep up on him. He kept watching Clarke, trying not to be obvious about it. The girl could dance, he gave her that. She moved her body so fluidly and without hesitation. He felt himself flush at the image of her swaying hips. That one leg jutting out was tantalizing. He shook his head, trying to focus.

"Bellamy! Fancy meeting you here." He turned at his name, spotting the waitress from the diner Octavia had taken him too. She was in a skimpy black dress that showed all her—assets. He couldn't remember her name, his slurred mind not helping him catch it. "It's Harper." She told him after his hesitation. "I'm a friend of Octavia's."

He nodded at her and smiled slightly. "Yeah, I remember. How's it going?"

"Oh, it's going." She leaned in closer to him. "Are you here with your girlfriend?" she asked innocently enough, but he knew what she was aiming for.

"Uhh—no girlfriend. Just a group of friends." He gestured vaguely behind him. She perked up at his words. Placing her hand on his elbow, she blinked up at him.

"Want to get a drink?"

They danced for what felt like hours. Coming back to the table, Clarke found out they had danced for two hours straight. Miller was sitting at the table next to Murphy. She hadn't noticed his disappearance from the dance floor until that moment. Yet, she noticed Bellamy was gone the second they walked up to the table.

"Where's my brother?" Clarke was glad Octavia asked. She had been trying to look around for him discreetly.

Miller looked up at them. "He just left to the restroom."

Raven and Wick walked up to them. "Hey there, happy feet." She poked Clarke in the ribs. "Can we take shots now? I am too sober."

Clarke sighed her relief. "Yes. Definitely shots time."

"Let's play the quarter game!" Maya clapped her hands excitedly.

"Let me go order more drinks. This bottle is almost out." Monty stood up. "I did promise you all a round." Winking, he spun around and headed to the bar, pushing past the hordes of bodies standing around.

They distributed what remained of the bottle. The Moonshine they normally drank boosted their tolerance for 'normal' alcohol, which meant they had to drink a bit more to match their buzz from Jasper's creation.

"Shame we can't bring in Moonshine. My ol' faithful." Jasper mirrored her thoughts.

"No shame. We need to give our livers a break every so often." Raven scolded him.

They put a glass in the center of the table, each holding their own cup of liquor in front of them. Wick pulled out a quarter from his pocket and neatly bounced it from the table directly into the glass with a clean pinging noise. He looked down and grinned at Raven, making it obvious she would drink first.

"You are an obnoxious chemist, Kyle Wick." She rolled her eyes at him, gulping down half her drink quickly.

"What does my major have to do with anything, wrench monkey?" Clarke laughed loudly at their cute bickering. Raven merely ignored him, fishing out the quarter. She bounced it, but missed by a few centimeters.

"Chug what's left!" Murphy called out, grinning wickedly.

Octavia was next, making her shot. "Murphy, your turn. Let's see if you can handle your shit as well as we can." He scoffed at her, but drank from his cup steadily.

Clarke followed, the quarter landing squarely in the cup. "I call on Miller!"

"You professionals are getting us old timers drunk on purpose, huh?" He chuckled, drinking up.

"Guys. Guess what I just saw!" Monty came running up to their table, a bottle of Skyy Vodka tucked into his arm. "Bellamy making out with Harper!"

Clarke felt her breath leave her. Octavia gasped next to her. "What? My brother? With Harper? How?" She turned to look at Clarke with large eyes. Clarke tried to make sure her face looked indifferent, but she might have been a second too late because her friend reached out to squeeze her hand lightly under the table.

"I didn't even know they knew each other." Maya looked confused.

Octavia groaned, dropping her head in her hands. "That is my fault." She glanced apologetically at Clarke, but quickly looked away and gave the same look to Maya, so no one would question it. "I took him to the diner the night after he came home. She had her flirting face on! Harper must have spotted him tonight."

Clarke stayed silent as her friends talked around her. She had to admit, it did hurt her a bit. They had gotten along so well. But she had been stupid to think it was anything more than just a nice night. It's now obvious Bellamy had no feelings for her.

She frowned at herself. Feelings? God, she was being absurd. Like she told Octavia while they cuddled, they had only interacted twice. Feelings aren't created in that small time frame. Besides, Octavia had always told Clarke about her brother's—floozy ways. And Clarke Griffin was anything but floozy. So of course, she wasn't his type.

"Hey Clarke, you want this as a shot? Or do we order you juice?" Jasper brought her out of her musings. He was fixing everyone with more alcohol.

"I'll take the shot, Jasper." She wrinkled her nose at him. He shouldn't even have to ask that ridiculous question.

"Come on Jas. You know us better than that." Octavia rang out. Jasper bowed in a sarcastic apologetic way, pouring the clear liquor into their empty glasses.

"So what other games do you youngsters have?" Murphy asked.

"Truth or dare." It was Wick who suggested this. "When this lot gets drunk, they get nasty about this game. It's all good fun to watch though. Until it's your turn." Raven leaned into his side, his arm snaking out to cover her shoulders. Clarke looked away from their cuteness, no longer finding it amusing.

Suddenly, Octavia leaped up. "Lincoln!" the tall man lumbering his way to them was Octavia's boyfriend. Her eyes sparkled as she went to hug him. He was a full head taller than her, which is pretty tall since Octavia herself was far from the short side. He leaned down and gave her a deep kiss.

"So, truth or dare huh?" Clarke called out, giving the couple some privacy. "Who goes first?"

"I will." Maya raised her hand. "Jasper, truth or dare."

"I'm feeling brave." He sat up straighter, puffing out his chest in a mocking bravado way. "Dare."

Maya nodded like she knew he would say that. "I dare you to kiss Lincoln hello as well."

They all sat in amusement, watching Jasper stroll casually up to the couple. Lincoln extended his hand to Jasper, which he grasped firmly. Before Lincoln knew what hit him, Jasper leaned in quickly, planting a loud kiss on the corner of his mouth. Then he ducked away quickly, rushing to explain what just happened before he was hit. Those left at the table broke out in laughter. Clarke's sides hurt. She was bent down, trying to stop the laughs that kept worsening her cramp.

"Monty, you're turn." Jasper returned to the table, Lincoln and Octavia right behind him. The couple looked amused and ready to join in.

"Alright. Miller. Truth or dare."

"Truth."

"If you had to choose someone to sleep with from this table, who would you choose?"

Miller scoffed. "Damn, I need another shot before answering that." He chose Murphy. 'I need to know a person fairly well before sleeping with them,' was his excuse.

Finally, it was Octavia's turn. "Clarke." She knew her friend would choose her. Groaning, Clarke took a large gulp of the disgusting but heavily needed liquor before turning to look at Octavia. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Damn it. The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it. She meant to choose Truth, which is far safer. But she was already feeling the effects of all the shots she'd taken. Her tongue was too loose and her bravery had been falsely amplified.

Octavia grinned wickedly at her. "I dare you to find a willing man and make out with him. After making sure he is single, of course."

"I volunteer as the willing man." Murphy raised his hand. This brought on a chuckle from the table.

"Too easy." Raven chided from the comfort of Wick's arms.

"Fine, let me rephrase. A willing strange man you've never met before. And Maya has to go with you to confirm it actually happens." Octavia smiled at her contently, a gleam in her eye as she surveyed Clarke.

Murphy deflated while Miller sympathetically patted him on the shoulder. Clarke stumbled her way out of the table with Maya following in suit.

"Want to head to the bar?" Maya gestured to the crowded counter. Clarke frowned. No, she thought. That was where Monty spotted Bellamy. Fuck Bellamy Blake, she howled in her mind.

"No, too many drunks. Let's go to the dance floor again." They slithered their way between bodies, Clarke scoping out any guy who looked willing. There were a lot actually. But if she was going to do this, she didn't want to set her standards low. She would find the hottest option. Dancing with Maya's arms wrapped around her, Clarke danced her ass off. She moved like she had never moved before. The sky vodka settled heavy in her veins, making her bolder than she would be sober. Doesn't alcohol always have that effect on a person?

"Hey, a guy is checking you out. And he is a hunk. Definitely choose him." Maya breathed in her ear. "No, don't turn." She added when Clarke tried to look at the direction she had indicated. "He is trying to make his way over here. Let him come." Maya stepped slightly away from Clarke, leaving room for the mystery man to join her.

Clarke kept dancing, glad the music had shifted into a faster beat. When she felt herself collide with someone, she looked over at Maya for confirmation. At her nod, she put on her widest grin and turned to see who she would be kissing tonight.

His dark hair was longer than she remembered, falling past his chiseled face. His lips were parted slightly, full and inviting. Dark eyes looked at her warily, waiting to gauge her reaction. Clarke gasped slightly, her body coming to a standstill. Someone behind her bumped into her and she felt her equilibrium abandon her (it had probably abandoned her somewhere after her fifth shot of vodka).

She fell into the arms of Finn Collins.


End file.
